Interspecific comparison of the fecal microbiota structure in three Arctic migratory bird species.

ABSTRACT: The gut microbiota of birds is known to be characterized for different species, although it may change with feeding items. In this study, we compared the gut microbiota of birds with different feeding behaviors in the same habitat. We collected fecal samples from three Arctic species, snow buntings Plectrophenax nivalis, sanderlings Calidris alba, and pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus that are phylogenetically quite distant in different families to evaluate effects of diet on gut microbiota. Also, we characterized the prevalence of fecal bacteria using the Illumina MiSeq platform to sequence bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Our NMDS results showed that fecal bacteria of snow buntings and sanderlings were significantly distant from those of pink-footed geese. Although all

SUBMITTER: Cho H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7319242 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature